Not of Use
by TheAsgardianQueen
Summary: Tony is depressed and feeling out of place after recent events. Things can only get worse, after a horrid team mission leads to the capture of Steve. With one team member damaged emotionally and another physically, can they make it through? Yes, I know it sound cheesy but its better than it sounds (hopefully). Slight Pepperony. Rated T. If you recognize it, I don't own it.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, this is my first multi-chapter fic, so I hope you guys like it. This is after CA:TWS and features the whole team, including Bucky who will show up in later chapters. We are saying in this that Steve is still looking for Bucky but living at the tower for a while, when the team needs him. This is Tony and Steve centric. Rated T for language and violence.**

**Disclaimer: Its Marvel. All of it. I own nothing. Plus, if I did own the Avengers I'd have more than like 24 dollars in my wallet.**

Yinsen had been right. He did have everything. He had money, a ton of it actually. He was brilliant, a genius to be precise. He was also a hero, talented enough to be one of the world's mightiest. But Tony Stark sure didn't feel like a hero.

Maybe that was because Yinsen's follow up had also been correct. He also had nothing. Of course, he had his parties, his money, and enough alcohol to make even Steve a little tipsy (though that might be a bit far, he really had a lot).

But that was nothing. That was nothing a hero needed or even should have. A hero was courageous, brave, self sacrificing, and frankly, as close to perfect as a person could get. A man just like that lived in the same tower as his.

He just felt so un-Tony Stark, and if that doesn't make sense it shouldn't, because after all nothing Tony did or said made much sense. Lately, boredom and depression were kicking him in the ass. He thought he must be so utterly selfish and the entire world agreed. These thoughts just proved his point, all he did was think about himself. He couldn't help but compare himself and feel ashamed next to Captain America. Steve was more than a serum, he knew that now, but _he_ was not more than a suit.

He contemplated this as he sat there, gazing out at New York City. It was unlike himself to sit still for so long. But he was the only one present at the Avengers Tower, and lately he kept finding himself in that situation and felt like he didn't have a purpose.

It had been a while seen the last team mission, but everyone stayed in the tower permanently (minus Thor). However, at this moment, Tony felt quite isolated seeing as Pepper was at a board meeting, Bruce was helping to treat some disease epidemic in some foreign country, and Clint and Natasha were off somewhere trying to help with what was left of SHIELD. Thor was still on Asgard, as he had been since New York. He wasn't sure where Steve was at the moment, but he figured he was most likely running, attempting to figure out what an iPhone is, or rescuing a kitten from a tree.

He wasn't exactly sure why his thoughts turned so dark whenever he had time to sort though them. One reason was most likely that since the whole Mandarin debacle, he felt slightly out of place. He had gotten over the trauma from New York but felt like his last adventure had proven how many good things he should do and how many he hadn't.

Every person on the team seemed to have such a definite position on the team, and Tony was struggling to find his. His best guess was that he was there to annoy and piss off everyone and get drunk. To be honest, his self worth was dropping drastically (something that disgusted him). But being Tony Stark, his personality never changed around anyone else.

A door opening snapped Tony from his thoughts. He looked up to see Steve entering. "Oh, hey, Capsicle" Tony greeted, changing his frown to a slight smirk. "Where have you been?" Steve nodded in greeting and proceeded to answer "Just running" he said "but there was a building that still was being rebuilt, so I stopped to give them a hand with lifting some stuff". Tony just nodded and Steve walked down the hall to his room.

All the Avengers had grown quite close over the months and though Tony and Steve considered each other good friends, there tended to be some slight tension around the two, presumably because of their rocky start and Tony's constant annoying comments and nicknames.

Tony always thought, after every eye roll he got that he needed to stop saying such teasing things, seeing as some of the nicknames brought up bad memories. Yet he always managed to keep going. Lately, that guilt was intensifying by a lot.

Every time he saw Steve, his mind recalled everything he had said on The Helicarrier._ "Which one is A) wearing a spangly outfit and B) Not of use." "A hero? Like you? You're a laboratory experiment Rogers, everything special about you came from a bottle."_ God, he had never been so wrong, and that thought told him how bad this was, _Tony Stark _had just admitted he was wrong about something. It wasn't anything he would say out loud, but still.

He reflected on what Cap had just said he was doing. Helping. Of course, he would be doing that. Tony had helped some with clean up but Steve had done so much more. It made him feel like an asshole, which is probably how the rest of the world saw him.

Cap had been out helping and doing whatever he could to be of use. While Tony sat drinking coffee, too busy thinking about his problems to worry about anyone else's. It seemed he was the one who was not useful.

He was snapped out of his thoughts once again, but this time by JARVIS. "Sir, you have an incoming call from Dr. Banner" said the AI. "Put him through, J." called Tony.

"Hey Tony" came Bruce's voice. Tony smiled. Nothing like his self proclaimed science bro to cheer him up. "Thought I'd let you know I'm on my way back. I'll be here within the hour."

"Good." Tony said. "Things have been getting a bit boring here at the tower." "Never thought that word would describe us. I'll be there soon. Later Tony." Bruce's chuckled.

"Bye Brucie" Tony said, not sure why he frequently called him that, but feeling it was fitting.

Steve came back just after having changed into a new outfit, since his other one had gotten quite dirty from volunteering. "Natasha called and said" he started before Tony shot out of his chair.

"Are you saying you know how to use a phone? JARVIS, alert the media!" Steve sighed and rolled his eyes causing Tony to wince inwardly, feeling slightly bad about his rude interruption.

Continuing, Steve said "She said they were done for now and she and Clint would be back by tonight".

"Good. Bruce said he'll be back in just a while. We needed to get the band back together" Tony said. Then his eyes lit up Steve asked "What is it?", feeling slightly wary of Tony's ideas. Tony wondered for a moment why people always thought his ideas were felonies.

"God, Capsicle". (another eye roll, another wince) "Nothing crazy. Just thought we should have a classic Avenger movie night." Tony desperately wanted to do something as a team so he could feel like a part of it. "That's actually a great idea." Steve said. "A great way to get in some team bonding." Tony sighed, thinking how stereotypical it was of him to only think of team bonding.

* * *

So there they were. Five Avengers sitting in various couches and chairs eating popcorn that had to be remade after Steve almost broke the microwave, not really getting the whole "popcorn setting" thing and watching movies.

They had started off with "Lord of the Rings" since Tony had been thinking about the time during schwarma when Steve had awkwardly blurted out "Who in the world is Legolas?" much to the amusement of the exhausted Avengers. So they decided to show him.

By the time the movie was over, Steve was convinced this comparison between the archers was quite apt. Upon voicing his opinion, he received a snicker from Tony, an agreeing nod from Bruce, a smirk from Natasha, and an amused but still deadly glare from Clint.

Next everyone decided Steve should get to pick. Looking through the DVD's, however, he found that the only films he knew were ones that the team had watched recently. With an exasperated sigh, he randomly selected War Games. The team rather enjoyed the film, despite Natasha being the only one who had seen it (and she really enjoyed using some of the quotes).

It was during the end credits otherwise known as that-time-where-everyone-argues-about-who's-picking-next, that JARVIS interrupted yet again with a phone call. "Sir, Director Fury is on the line." That was met with a groan. "Patch him through" Tony said annoyed.

"Stark. Rogers. Barton. Banner. Romanoff." Fury said by way of greeting. "We have a team mission."

**Let me know what you thought. This story should be about 20 chapters. I'm hoping to get the next one posted by tomorrow night but school and my laziness tend to prevent these things.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I'm really sorry I didn't get this posted last night. I have plenty of excuses but I'm sure you don't want them, so here's a chapter. Enjoy. I thank you all for your support! Sorry that this plot line is a bit cliche.**

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it most likely belongs to Marvel.**

* * *

"I'll need to debrief you all immediately. I will arrive at the tower shortly" Fury stated, then promptly hung up.

The team sighed. Yet another movie night ruined. SHIELD was gone but of course the Avengers still had their duties and Fury was still in charge of them, a fact no one wanted to argue about.

Since Clint and Natasha had arrived back later than expected, it was getting to be early morning but the Avengers were quite fatigued and not looking forward to another mission. They all pretty much knew this would be against HYDRA, since that threat outweighed all others by a wide margin.

As Tony went to prep his suit and make more coffee, he considered the prospect of a mission. Of course, he didn't want to battle a bunch of psychopaths at the crack of dawn and it was bad that there were a bunch of psychopaths out there in the first place, this might not be all bad.

Cap might think that a movie night is team bonding, but the most effective truly was a mission. Tony was pretty sure some good old-fashioned ass-kicking would help get him out of his funk.

After all, this was productive and he was sure this would mission wouldn't be that bad, even HYDRA was no match for the Avengers. They were the world's mightiest heroes, and Cap had taken HYDRA before, even without the other Avengers.

He walked back into the common room with JARVIS ready to activate the suit and saw the team all as their superhero counter parts. Captain America was in full uniform, shield slung over his back, posture perfect, and hands folded in front of him. Hawkeye and Black Widow were dressed in black and each armed to the teeth. Bruce, however, was just sitting there being Bruce, since all he had to do was Hulk out when the time came.

Director Fury walked in just as Tony took a seat. "As most of you have probably already gathered, this is about HYDRA." He said, not bothering with introductions. The team nodded.

"Well, since the entire world knows about the take down of SHIELD, HYDRA has decided to show off by threatening some of the largest cities on the planet, including New York."

Steve looked pissed and vengeful, not a good look for Captain America. He couldn't believe them. He had died for nothing, He went down the arctic to defeat an organization that would inevitably come back. And they had taken Bucky. They had turned his best friend into a murderer. All of them would pay.

Fury then asked JARVIS to pull up some surveillance of a humongous, but abandoned factory. It was a slightly obvious and typical hideout for the villainous.

"This is where HYDRA is believed to be hiding as they have for the past week. We aren't sure if their threats are legitimate, but the unfortunately small team I have has been monitoring their activity and they are definitely up to something." Fury said, gesturing to the monitor.

"And you're asking us to..." Clint said in the form of a question, trying to get as much information as possible.

Fury looked Clint directly in the eyes, but spoke to the whole team. "Annihilate them. All of them. We can't afford to underestimate HYDRA. They got the jump on us once, but it sure as hell won't happen again."

The team nodded and fell silent.

"Assemble" Steve muttered.

* * *

So, there the five stood, surveying the situation, hiding in the grove of trees that had hidden the warehouse. The security that had been shown in the surveillance had doubled causing a few alarms to go off in Steve's head.

"It doesn't make sense." Natasha said, as if voicing Steve's thoughts. "You just took down the world's most secure spy organization so why risk that by attacking a bunch of cities right off the bat. Especially cities where the Avengers are. It doesn't seem like a priority. And they could have done a better job hiding."

"I know" Steve said quietly. "But we can't afford to second guess ourselves. Let's go." He finished in his commanding Captain America voice.

They went in already knowing what they were about. Their positions hadn't changed much since New York.

Clint was usually somewhere high, watching and picking off enemies from a distance. Tony took the perimeter, blasting whatever he could. Steve and Natasha just charged right for the middle, to give them hell wherever they could. And Bruce, he just smashed.

HYDRA didn't know what hit them. The warehouse was quite large but not full. The majority of the people had been the guards. But inside there were hardly any people.

They hadn't been guarding anyone or anything. So far, this had been pointless and very unsettling. Tony was thinking this mission wasn't as easy as he initially thought.

This warehouse wasn't there for an attack base. It was there to start a battle

* * *

Natasha fought with the same elegance she always did, her hatred of HYDRA fueling her speed. Never in her life had one single enemy destroyed so much of her life. But of course when you cross the Black Widow, blood spills.

Steve was enraged. Every time he came across a HYDRA agent, they were down in seconds from the power and anger of the Captain. His personal vendetta made him a pure fighting machine, obliterating anything and everything. Natasha had never seen even the Hulk get this angry.

Tony whizzed around making short work of the guards. He blasted through just about everything, leaving no area left alone. For once, he felt slightly productive.

The Hulk was quite helpful in making sure no one was left inside, as he completely smashed the warehouse and all HYDRA agents he could find.

Clint fired arrow after arrow, each one precisely meeting its' mark. After a while, his selection of targets was incredibly small. Sure, the Avengers knew what they were doing, but something was wrong.

Clint should have known it from the start. Natasha had been right, HYDRA hadn't been logical. Or had they?

The Hulk roared and smashed a fist through the side of the crumbling building. "Steve, Natasha, get out of there. The building's falling." Clint instructed.

"Got it." said Cap.

They sprinted out just before the Hulk made another smashing spree. The warehouse went down.

And then silence.

This had been a quick battle, and an easy one, and it had been against HYDRA. This could not be the end and they all knew it. Then they heard rumbling, the sound of machines coming in. Well, not just machines. More like tanks.

And tanks indeed they were. Dozens of them, high-tech and deadly. Surrounding them and there was no shortage of HYDRA agents anywhere.

They had underestimated them again. Oh, HYDRA had been very logical.

**Oooh, cliffhanger. I'll try to get the next one posted ASAP. Thanks for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Oh my gods, guys! I'm really sorry this took so long but I've been pretty busy. The good news is that I have only 12 days left of school. Once summer begins, I will update this more frequently and I also have a plethora of other story ideas that I will post as well on a regular updating pattern.**

**I have a few things I would like to make note of before we begin:**

**I'm very sorry that this plot line is so cliche and overdone, but it was the first idea I had for a multi-chapter fic. Luckily, I have some better ones coming.**

**Also, sorry I'm so pesky asking about reviews but I really would like some constructive criticism to improve my writing.**

**Again, while on the subject of my profuse and hopefully not annoying apologies, I'm sorry my chapters are so short.**

**So, without further ado here is chapter 3. Enjoy!**

* * *

The Avengers had been outsmarted. You really couldn't debate that fact. However, they still didn't fear losing. This wasn't the first time they had been outsmarted, but the Avengers never not ever lost a battle. Because they would protect the Earth at all costs and when they couldn't well, then you could be damn well sure they'd avenge it.

Clint and Natasha's confidence never wavered. HYDRA was a threat they could definitely defeat. If anything, this just made them angrier.

Steve was all ready furious. Murderous. Vengeful, too. HYDRA had gotten them yet again. Steve had lead his team straight into a trap. He was determined to rip them all to shreds. So, he just ran. Ignoring the protests from his team and the fact that they needed a plan, he just charged straight at the closest tank.

"See, attacking is the best plan of attack." Tony muttered and started blasting them to dust. The rest of the team followed suit.

The Avengers were hopelessly outnumbered and Tony's confidence was slipping. He was afraid he would mess up. Afraid he would do yet another stupid thing. Still he kept going, knowing this was the only way to finally finish off HYDRA.

For a moment, Tony was just there, no enemies close enough to blast. So, he took a moment to survey the team and make sure they were all right. He took it all in slowly.

The Hulk roared and there was nothing new there. Just a lot of smashing.

Tony found himself a bit mesmerized by the perfection of the well-planned and lethal moves executed by the master assassins. Everything was done purposefully and each objective was met every time. Clint's aim was more than impeccable, it was borderline impossible perfection. Natasha's skills could take out Hydra agents in seconds. The duo was pure destruction,

He was slightly worried about Steve. Captain America was supposed to have good and pure intentions, which he did. But out here, on the battlefield of two powerful entities, each one fighting for the other's soul, Steve looked like just another undaunted killer.

Tony felt another pang of sadness as he watched his team. They were so talented, so useful, so _good_. Natasha and Clint would disagree with that statement, but Tony knew that they really were good. Thinking back, in recent history, who was to say that Natasha Romanoff wasn't a better person than Tony Stark.

Everyone called him an selfless and courageous hero after the whole New York portal debacle. They were wrong. Of course, he was in New York because he wanted to help and save the world. That's why he was an Avenger.

But as he grabbed that missile, a large part of his mind was thinking that he just wanted to save his ass. Another few pounds of guilt to add to the pile. Sometimes, he really wished he was such a good person, one like Captain America, capable of all this self-denial and abnegation.

Realizing the battle was far from over, he looked around sharply, deciding which area required his services the most. He looked over to Cap and decided he was most needed there, since as one might think, Hydra targeted him most frequently.

He was making his way over there as another large tank appeared, and rolled straight for Steve. He was about to fire but realized it was going to fast. Frightened for a split second, Iron Man made no move. At the last second Steve was able to grab his shield and flip just out of the way of the tank.

Tony stood there like an idiot. He could have saved Steve but _no_, of course not. He felt so stupid yet again. Sighing, he flew over to continue his demolishing of Hydra, wishing he could get some redoes in life.

* * *

Time fell away. If you could ask the Avengers at this moment how long it had been since the tanks arrived they might have said anywhere from 10 minutes to 7 hours. Because, really, there was only one thought on their minds: destruction.

Steve fell into a perfect rhythm. He had no real thoughts during this small infinity of time. It was just punch, kick, throw shield, turn, and repeat. After who knows how much time, he threw a punch and followed by his ricocheting shield to just them both hit nothing.

His head snapped up and he came out of his daze. He watched as the Hulk threw a tank into the remnants of the warehouse. Steve had a slightly dumb thought: we're done. He hadn't bothered to look over.

When he did, he gritted his teeth in an effort not to scream in anger. They were still coming. And Clint, Natasha, and Tony were getting overrun. Damn, why had he thought they were all gone. By the looks of it, there was a ton of backup merging with those still left.

"Hulk!" Steve shouted and gestured towards his fighting friends. Together they sprinted into the madness.

At once, Fury's voice was in his ear. "The threats are obviously faulty. The only thing they were planning was the take down of the Avengers. I'm sending a plane out to get you all now."

Steve stopped in his tracks. "An extraction?" He practically yelled. "No. HYDRA has to pay. _Now_."

"We'll be the only ones paying, Captain, if we don't get you all out of there. You're outnumbered and more are still coming. They will pay, but we'll need a strategy. You are getting your ass on this plane if I have to order you to do it."

Steve sighed and grumbled but agreed and went to go get the other three. Upon Steve's orders Hulk stayed back to calm down and turn back into Bruce.

* * *

About ten minutes later, the Avengers (Bruce being back to normal) were running towards two quinjets that Fury owned, though Steve still felt annoyed that he was running away.

One was piloted by Fury himself (there was a shortage of people) and Maria Hill (who was helping with SHIELD although she technically worked for Stark).

As they approached their extraction team, they were literally fighting as they ran. HYDRA was completely swarming them. Steve supposed Fury's plan was actually a good one. The Avengers lost track of each other as they went, but they all had faith in their teammates.

Finally, they were able to reach the jets and they leaped in to the closest ones. There they flew up, leaving a mass of pissed HYDRA agents. Tony and Bruce ended up with Hill and Clint and Natasha rode with Fury.

Tony and Bruce discussed the advanced weaponry possessed by Hydra. There incredibly high-tech tanks had really put the team at a disadvantage. All this time and somehow Hydra still had some weapons that seemed to be powered with Tesseract energy.

Clint and Natasha talked to Fury about there next move. Hydra was definitely not going to slip through there fingers again.

Each set of three thought Steve was with the other.

* * *

The four Avengers were dropped off at the tower after being told they would need to debrief with Fury tomorrow.

They would still be focused on taking down Hydra, since Fury said there was a shortage of people and he really had only one other team working on this.

Hill and Fury landed and took back off quickly with four exhausted and slightly bloody avengers stepping onto the roof in between. They just stood their breathing heavily for about 15 seconds when Tony suddenly looked around feeling bewildered.

"Where did Cap go?" He asked.

Clint looked up and shrugged. "How should we know? He was on your plane."

"What? No, he was with you guys." Tony said, trying to keep his terror quiet and all ready knowing what the response might be.

Natasha looked up and tensed, a fiery glare in her eyes. "You mean that no one here knows where Steve is? And no one noticed he was gone?" She said in a low and deadly tone.

"Um..." Tony stuttered but was cut off by his phone ringing. He answered quickly, grateful for the interruption, but fearing what was to come.

The voice that came out of the machine was Hill's. "Guys, where is Steve?".

No one answered or made a noise. "Tony?"

The Avengers looked at each other with looks that ranged from extremely pissed and deadly, to "oh shit", to extremely guilty and self-blaming, and to extremely scared and upset. However, they all gave a similar message: "How the hell did this happen?"


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Just a notice here. We are going to pretend Fury is still sticking around and Coulson is not the new SHIELD director. We are also saying that Fury has other teams out there besides Coulson's that aren't Hydra. This should be a long one. And it will feature our Asgardian Avenger. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Marvel. I own nothing. Sorry, I forgot to post this on the last chapter.**

* * *

Panic filled the Avengers Tower at once. Tony hung up on Hill, unable to form an appropriate response, and chaos broke out. Chaos and panic in the form of a screaming match, that is.

Natasha wasn't yelling though, just speaking in that quiet, deadly (and now accusatory) tone about what happened, and scaring the shit out of everyone. She couldn't possibly understand how they had just lost Captain America.

Clint _was_ speaking loudly, asking the same questions in millions of different ways as he began to argue with Natasha. All he could think was: "How?!" and "Whose ass can I kick now?".

Tony tried to interject a few times, but was silenced by the noise and his lack of knowledge on what to say. Truthfully, there really was nothing you could say. Tony just couldn't believe himself. Steve was just gone and he hadn't done anything to help. At that moment, he had never hated himself more.

Bruce was getting a bit stressed by the argument, so he chose to just remain as calm as possible and be rational. He laid out what they knew and suggested ideas for what they could do to find Steve. However, every idea he had became the source of a new argument for the master assassins. He eventually just gave up, sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose.

At this point, Tony became silent too. His hands were balled into fists and his teeth were rubbing against each other. He started feeling quite anxious just thinking about all the words coming out Natasha and Clint's mouths.

Suddenly, he was overwhelmed with the feeling of being on the verge of another anxiety attack, like the ones he had after New York. He knew he should have gotten over that, but the events of today really had him shaken, especially since the most of them were his fault. Now all he could do was stand there and try to breathe.

Natasha was officially losing it. She was no longer deadly sounding, now she was just in a raging fury. She was accusing everyone of doing everything wrong, including herself. It was very hard to shake the Black Widow, but she was very close to Steve, and she wouldn't allow herself a calm breath while he was gone. Plus, once she had lost it, she wasn't coming back. It was rare that she got this mad at the Avengers, but it happened. Fury phoned a few times, but Natasha or Clint just hung up, preferring to argue rather than be rational.

Unfortunately, Natasha next began shouting at Bruce, not even thinking twice about The Other Guy. Now Bruce was very stressed and his eyes flashed green for a moment, though she didn't notice.

Snapped out of his thoughts by Natasha's rants, Tony realized this situation was escalating into a quite risky situation. He finally got the courage to speak up and took a step towards Natasha. "Um, Natasha, I know this is really bad and um, stuff, but just take a breath and calm down for a moment, so we can, er…". Evidently, he hadn't thought about his words. And in a slightly stereotypical way, she became enraged at the words "calm down". She turned her attention from Bruce and Clint to Tony. She took a step forward.

"What about you?" she asked, her voice loud, but more controlled and more terrifying. "You don't exactly seem heartbroken. You didn't bother to watch out for Steve even though you were near him towards the end. You didn't bother to make sure he got here safely. You didn't even bother to tell Hill what happened when she called. Well, I guess you never did like Steve much from the beginning. I thought you'd show a little compassion, at least." She knew she was being a bit irrational, but she didn't care.

"Natasha…" Clint tried to interrupt.

"Oh, just save it. All of you." She cut him off with a sharp glare directed at Tony.

* * *

Fury tried one more time to call the tower. When it was declined yet again, he slammed the phone down. "This shit is going to stop." He said to Hill and got ready to go to the tower and to make some calls.

* * *

In this period of time, Clint had managed to set Natasha off again and the yelling ensued. Because of this, Fury walked in unnoticed, JARVIS not bothering to notify them.

He stood in the door watching and sighed loudly, bringing the attention to himself. Before one of the assassins could utter a word, he spoke "I've made a decision regarding this crisis. You all are not going to like it, but the state you were in as I arrived just validates this decision. Yes, I have a shortage of people, but in the long run its plenty to locate and rescue Steve. I'll have my best agent head a large team."

Here Clint piped up, ever suspicious. "Are you sure this agent can be trusted?" Fury's eyebrow raised a fraction of an inch. "Well, it is Phil Coulson." he said, ignoring Natasha's look of further annoyance, Clint's raised eyebrows but not all that surprised face, and Bruce and Tony's equal looks of "Are you kidding me?".

"And what are we doing?" demanded Natasha, bringing things back to the issue at hand, not all that surprised Coulson was alive,

"I'm afraid I can't have you do anything." He responded and quickly continued before they could interrupt again. "We can't have another Avengers mission right now, especially while Hydra is doing everything they can to get you all. SHIELD's downfall, affected the public's view of the Avengers and we can't make it public that Captain America was captured. But we will get him back."

Tony winced. He didn't want to think Steve had been captured by Hydra, though he knew it was most likely the truth. He was hoping that Steve would just show right back up any minute, except that was very irrational.

Natasha began to yell, yet again. "I'm sorry, what? You did not honestly just tell me that we are going to sit here while our friend and team leader is in danger! How could we do nothing? What if they can't handle Hydra? I completely trust Coulson, but this needs to be an Avengers mission." She said, her yell changing to a quieter and slightly pleading voice at the end.

"That's an order, Romanoff. The Avengers making a scene out of this can only make things worse. This is for the best and we will find him." Fury said with finality. "And the debriefing tomorrow is cancelled. I'll keep you updated."

Natasha's face melted back into anger and Tony stepped forward to make sure she didn't actually go after the former director. "Oh, like you care. I'm sure you'd rather sit here. Its easier isn't it?" Natasha snapped. Yes, she was being quite unfair, but these events had left her quite upset and her emotions were flowing out on Tony.

Under the icy gaze of the Black Widow, Tony lost it. First he had let Steve feel unwanted by him, then he had let him get captured and couldn't do anything about it, and everyone thought he didn't care. His breath quickened and he stepped back quickly, palms sweating. He turned and paced out of the room straight down to the lab, unable to speak. He hoped tinkering could get him calmed down, but he just felt so emotionally damaged that New York paled in comparison to this.

Natasha's eyebrows raised but she didn't say anything. Bruce did, however. He may have been half asleep when Tony had filled him in on his latest adventures, but he had heard some stuff, particularly the anxiety attacks, which he had talked to Tony a bit about.

His eyes flashed bright green, and this time Natasha did notice. "You have no idea what you're talking about. You don't even know Tony Stark if that's what you really think." He hissed. This was one of the few times that Bruce took his anger out on a person. He stalked out of the room.

* * *

After a while, Tony was calmed down, but he couldn't stop replaying Natasha's comments in his head. As he sat out on the balcony, another cup of coffee in his hand and his fingers drumming nervously on the edge of his chair, he saw more and more truth in her words. Even Steve, who saw good in everyone, probably thought he didn't care about anyone or anything.

He really cared about all the Avengers a lot, though. He wished he could have a do over with Steve. He wished he had been a better friend to them all. He knew it was his fault. His fault. Steve gone. His fault. Nothing he could do. These thoughts swam around, turning his mind into a cluttered and unorganizable mess.

Damn it! How did he let this happen? The mug in his hands dropped and shattered. He could only stare and the shards and try to breathe. For a genius, he was so stupid. He had let this happen, let it all fall apart without even trying to catch it. But his being a genius didn't matter, for there really were guys with none of that worth ten of him. He gripped the handles of his chair tightly.

Calm yourself, he thought harshly. He was so consumed, that he failed to notice the additional presence. Natasha wasn't good at apologies but here she really owed one. "Tony" she said calmly. "I'm sorry. I didn't know what I was talking about. This is all just… so… unbelievable. I never thought something like this could happen to Steve Rogers."

"It's okay." Tony said after a moment. "You were right. About everything." Knowing, Natasha would argue that statement, he got up and began to exit, when a loud noise caused him to turn back.

He searched the sky for a reason for the unexpected thunder. Then lightning. Natasha and Tony's eyes met in surprise. Bruce and Clint quickly joined them as the inevitable blinding ray of light came down from the heavens, causing them all to shield there eyes.

And as soon as it came it was gone, leaving the mighty Thor of Asgard in its' place. He stood tall, dressed in his full armor, Mjolnir clutched tightly in one hand. He looked just like usual but the grin from his face was gone, the space filled with a solemn frown and sad eyes.

"Friends." He greeted in a surprisingly quiet manner. They all just managed to convey looks of surprise that Thor had returned.

"I have heard from Heimdall of this tragic news regarding our brave captain. I have come to offer any assistance I can." He said.

"Fury has prevented us from taking action." Natasha grumbled. Thor looked simply pissed.

"Wait…" Clint said. "Shouldn't Heimdall be able to see where Steve is?" He asked, his hopes rising.

Thor shook his head slowly, looking troubled. "It is indeed mysterious. Theoretically, yes. But there is a sort of interference. He can see our Captain, but not his exact location."

"Interference?" Tony gritted out.

"It is hard to explain. This interference comes in the form of energy signatures. Ones that match those of the Tesseract, which should not be possible." Thor explained, still looking angrier than any of the Avengers had ever seen him.

Clint's eyes widened. "Which means?" He asked, though he already knew the answer.

"It is most certain that these monsters you call Hydra have him…" Thor stated sadly.

"And they still have Tesseract technology." Finished Tony quietly, thinking how this was all his fault, yet again.

* * *

More often than not, in books and movies when a character wakes up from a terrible event they are initially in ignorant bliss, until the truth hits them at once like a tidal wave of pain returning to drag said character back under. Maybe it was the enhanced mind the serum brought or just true human nature, but when Steve awoke in a puddle of blood that had once been in his body, he didn't have to open his eyes to know where he was and exactly what happened. And he knew it was his fault.

He wasn't worried so much about himself. He knew his situation was one where all roads led to certain death, but he only feared for the rest of his team. He had been overwhelmed before he could see if the quinjets took off. He was glad they hadn't tried to come back for him. He felt bad enough and he didn't the team being jeopardized by coming back into the madness.

He had led his team into this trap and then let them get split up. He could not believe his own stupidity. And now, they'd probably be in more danger if they did anything to try and help him. He hoped they would see that that was quite a bad idea. He wasn't going to give in to Hydra, but he didn't want to put the safety of his friends in question.

It's really always just one bullet.

In his exceedingly long life, there had been many shots fired at him, starting the firsts day he was injected with the serum. But he was a soldier, so the bullets were dodged time after time.

So, its not a collective measurement that adds up to your downfall. It's just one second. One moment where fate decided you weren't getting away so easily. Where you didn't think quick enough, didn't move swift enough.

It was inevitable. That at least one bullet out of millions would meet its' mark. One bullet from one gun from one Hydra operative from one ordinary mission with one unexpected and lethal twist. Your fall comes predetermined, a moment where nothing hangs in the balance, because the tip of the scales is already a final decision.

He had just been running, his only knowledge being blood. All he cared about was avenging Bucky. So he had fought. How could have known how many there would be? That he would stumble slightly, that they would move in, concentrated on seeing America spill the blood of its' patriot, that one bullet would meet its' mark in the middle of his back putting him out of commission and at a slower speed, that one bullet would lead to several, and that several bullets would lead to unconsciousness.

He wasn't sure exactly what Hydra wanted with him, but they weren't gonna get it unless they were prying it from his cold, dead body. Everything about Hydra sickened him more than he thought possible. They were monsters. Loki and the Chitauri might as well have been his old buddies for what he thought about Hydra.

He was chained very tightly and securely to the floor, the puddle of blood growing, but his confidence was still there. He would kill them all. They couldn't get anything from him. In anger and defiance he pulled hard at the chains and tried to squirm out of them. Suddenly with the movement blue energy sparked and flowed through the chains generating an electric pulse that shocked his body into painful stillness.

This didn't deter him mentally though. He would get out of here, figure out what they did to Bucky so maybe he could help save him, and kill them all. They thought they could stop him. Thought they were so mighty that they could bring down the Avengers. The Avengers could function without him and the fight was far from gone in his mind.

He surveyed the room he was in. He was in a fair amount of pain but he still moved some, but not enough to set off the electricity. The room was just black but it actually was dirty at all. The floor seemed to be polished and that was almost an insult to Steve.

He didn't even notice there was a door in the corner until it began to open. He hissed in anger. Apparently, his Hydra captors were here to pay their first visit.

**One other thing, I have a prologue written for my next Avengers story and it along with the first chapter should be posted in a while. It is gonna be pretty dark with at least one character death, so sorry if that's not your thing, but I think it'll be pretty cool. Let me know what you thought of this latest addition to Not of Use. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Here we go again, my readers. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: If you recognize anything, it's not mine. I know there are a lot of stories with similar plot lines as this one, but I promise you any definite similarities are a coincidence.**

Tony sat on the edge of his bed. His head was buried in his hands. He hadn't moved from this position for a few hours. He tried to pretend there weren't tears falling down his face.

He honestly couldn't thing of another thing besides Steve. There was so much that could go wrong with a rescue and Tony was powerless. It may have been idiotic to take on Loki alone, but Tony did have faith in Coulson. He still feared that the faith of the Avengers and the power of scattered SHIELD agents, wasn't enough to burn the heads of Hydra.

God, Tony really cared about Steve. Honestly, he cared for hims so much. The Avengers were the part of his life he liked the best and Steve was the leader.

Sure, his old fashioned ways got annoying, his patriotism drove Tony up a wall more often than not, and his ever present optimism could really get to him, but Tony really appreciated him. The man was a good friend and good person, a perfect leader for the Avengers.

And it wasn't as though Tony didn't have his faults, actually he had a lot more than the other half of their friendship. He always used his money on himself and his projects , his ego was huge, he managed to be always annoying and never serious, you could go as far to say he had a drinking problem, and, boy was he self absorbed. After all, here he was thinking about himself while his friend had been captured by Hydra.

He fell back onto his bed and stared at the ceiling. He hoped Fury would call with an update sometime soon, but Tony knew it would take forever for them to get a lead, much less actually make real progress. He knew he really should pull himself together more, but would that really do any good? After all, he couldn't help Steve no matter what mental state he was in.

So he didn't move. He simply replayed the battle a thousand different ways in his mind. There were so many ways this could have been prevented. Even if he couldn't have known, he should have been more cautious.

He was quite interested and believed in the theory that there were infinite parallel universes where any number of small or large changes could occur, that differed from this one universe. In so many of those alternate worlds, Steve would be sitting in the same tower as him.

But the truth is a bitch, and the truth was that Steve was gone. He let out a small growl of frustration. The only thing worse than having a friend get captured by a villainous organization with hatred of that friend is being powerless to save said friend from said villainous organization.

He took in a deep breath and attempted to focus his thoughts on something. But then he realized, there were no more thoughts to be thought. It was quite a deep revelation actually. There were no words to say on the matter. He had hashed it out. He had fucked up. He knew that. He had thought about what he wished he could do or could have done. He had shed many a tear thinking about Steve. That was just it. There was nothing more to say.

That literally drove him off his rocker. He began pacing quickly, studying the ground as he went. There were no thoughts that could help, no actions that were possible to complete. He figured he might be losing it, but oh well. Did his sanity even really matter right now? The answer was no.

He paced faster, to the point where he was getting very dizzy. He was so oblivious, he didn't even realize he had tripped until he looked down and the carpet was right in front of his face.

He didn't feel like getting up. He knew he could use some sleep since the battle had taken an emotional and physical toll on him, but when he closed his eyes he only saw Steve in the battle and even some moments from New York. He guessed the birth of a new monster could awaken the old.

He was considering asking JARVIS for a sedative when a knock at the door came. "Come in" Tony said into the carpet, not bothering to ask who it was.

"Tony? God, are you okay?" came Bruce's concerned voice. Tony propped himself up on his elbows. "Yeah. I tripped." He said, thinking that while he was okay physically he might not be emotionally.

"That's not entirely what I meant." Bruce sighed, and sat down next to Tony on the floor. Tony said nothing. "Blaming yourself is ridiculous. Yeah, we all could've done something. But as always this happens and you can't ever know before. This doesn't help." He paused. "We all know you care."

Tony shot into a sitting position and raised his voice. "Yeah, that's nice. Does Steve? We may never know. You're right, thinking doesn't help, but we've been prevented from taking action by a former spy with an eye-patch." He was so exhausted he had trouble adding in sarcastic comments.

"Look Tony. It's too late to do anything. Of course, I'm furious. But, he will be okay. He is Captain America, after all.

"I know." Tony grumbled, but wasn't convinced. Bruce sighed yet again. "We will make it through. We are the Avengers."

"Not without Steve we're not. And I'm just not of use. Not to Steve, not to any of you all. I can't even get my shit together long enough to have a reasonable thought." Tony said.

Bruce spoke again "No, Tony. We have to go forward. Just until Steve gets back, which he will. We'll be okay. We're too strong to fall to Hydra. We are the Avengers. We're there when no one else is. The last border between survival and defeat."

Tony rose an eyebrow. "Wow, you know how to give a speech. Does this mean you're team captain in Steve's absence?" Bruce looked at him and shook his head. "No. You are the most public figure out of us all. You have publicly saved the world many times, more than any of us. People listen to you. If anyone has to temporarily replace Steve, its you."

Tony glared at him and face planted into the carpet. "I just can't do that." He whispered.

Bruce sighed, something he had done a lot today. Silence engulfed them in waves, stealing away comments and forcing them back into the mouths of their owners.

Bruce stood up. "I came to tell you that Pepper is on her way back. She's a bit of an emotional wreck. Hill called and told her everything. Let me know if you need anything." Like a friend, Bruce thought, feeling concerned about his friend, but knowing he could do nothing.

Tony nodded and waited for Bruce to leave. He figured he ought to at least try to get himself together for Pepper's sake. He knew how much Steve meant to everyone too. He was surprised Coulson was upright, and even stable enough to lead a mission.

The least he could do was try to comfort his girlfriend.

* * *

Pepper arrived back at the tower in around thirty minutes. Her eyes were red and she walked purposefully and quickly.

She strode through the tower and went straight into Tony's room. Seeing his condition was similar to hers, she sat down next to Tony and wrapped an arm around him. "Hey Pep." He said quietly. "Oh, god Tony. How could this happen?" She said, tears coming fast and hard.

"I don't know. We screwed up. Bad." He said. Pepper looked him in the eye, trying to reign in her emotions. "I know a lot of people have said this to you, but it isn't your fault. Phil'll find him and he will be okay. After all, he is Captain America. I know that's not what you want to here, but it's true. And I don't know what else to say." She squeezed his hand.

"Yeah." Tony sighed. "But it's just too risky. The Avengers need to do something." Pepper thought about his words and looked at him. He met her eyes to see a small bit of determination in them.

"Tony, I trust you. If you think you have to. then you should. I trust SHIELD, but I have faith in the Avengers."

He squeezed Pepper's hand. This was what he needed. Inspiration. Maybe his faith didn't matter, but the faith of others did. He didn't care about Fury. He'd go by himself if he had to.

He gave Pepper a signature Tony Stark grin, and even though his heart wasn't in it, it was a step. He still felt horrific, but knowing that Pepper believed he could do something gave him the energy to stand up, at the very least.

He shoved his thoughts to the back of his mind and with a thanks and a kiss to Pepper, he went in search of a co-conspirator. He felt his nervousness coming back, just thinking about implementing a plan. He took another breath. He had to do this. For Steve.

* * *

Natasha was not in her room. He sighed, knowing where she was and already thinking about the money it would take to fix that floor.

So, he took the elevator to the training room and he was right about the costs. Everything that could be hit was practically dented in and at the center of the madness was the fiery redhead who was currently giving hell to a punching bag. Another powerful and well placed kick sent the punch bag literally flying across the room.

She whirled on her heel, looking for something else to attack. As she did, she saw Tony gaping at her in awe. "Need something?" She asked in a flat tone. She didn't even appear to be out of breath.

He looked at her and gestured around. "While I appreciate your whole fiery tornado of death you've got here, the cost to repair this is high and this isn't who you should be taking your anger out on."

Natasha raised a perfect eyebrow and gave him a conspiratorial look.

"I honestly don't care about what Fury said. The Avengers need to step in. We'll find them and Coulson's team can be our back up. Sitting here is making things worse." He said silently pleading she'd set aside her loyalty to SHIELD for the Avengers.

"Never thought I'd say "You're right" to Tony Stark, but you are." She said after a moment. "I am what?" He asked with a smirk. She just about slapped him, but settled for a glare. "We'll need a plan."

"That's why I came to you, Natashalie." He answered

* * *

So they planned. Using JARVIS, they compiled a Hydra database with every scrap of information they had. After narrowing down a few locations, but not having much luck, they decided to talk about a plan for arrival, instead of the location. It was rare that Natasha and Tony would work on something secretly, but they felt it was better to have some sort of plan before they proposed their risky idea.

"How do you say we go about this?" Natasha asked, since Tony had had this whole idea. "Well, it's a little thing I like to call strategy." Tony said. "We fly in. We give them hell. We find Steve. We blow shit up. In other words, attack."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Fury was kind of right. We shouldn't make a scene out of this." Tony sighed. "Fine. I'll bring the Mark 18. It's pretty stealthy." It was now Natasha's turn to sigh. "Seriously, Tony."

"Okay then, let's make it simple. We go in and kill everyone and find Steve without making the news or blowing stuff up." Tony suggested. "Well, yeah. But that's not enough. The oldest tricks still work the best, you know. And the Avengers know how to create a diversion." Natasha said.

Tony stood up. "Yeah. We have most of us go in and start wreaking havoc. And one or two people go in and get Steve. Simple but smart and it could work, especially with Coulson's team being there.."

Natasha looked up thoughtfully. "The rescue team… Or person... They'd have to get there separately." She met Tony's eyes. "If they could fly there on their own a little later, that stealthy Mark 18 might just go unnoticed."

Tony sat back down. "Yeah. That works…" He trailed off.

"Tony." The redhead spoke softly and Tony was surprised to see such compassion in her eyes. "You can do this. We all have faith in you. Even Steve." Tony wasn't convinced. "You'll get him and he will be okay. After all, he is Captain America."

That was the third time today someone had said that to him. Tony was pretty sure that _if_ he was okay, it would be because it was Steve Rogers, not his superhero counterpart.

"Yup" He said, brushing off the conversation. "This could very well work. But it's time to widen the circle." He felt so nervous, so terrified that he would screw this up, yet again, so he did what Tony Stark always does: He put on a brave facade and asked JARVIS to fire up the intercom that delivered noise to every part of the tower.

And he spoke two words. Two powerful words, that gave hope to the world and fear to Hydra. But even as he said them, Tony knew the words were not meant to come out of his mouth.

"Avengers assemble."

* * *

Steve twisted to see the man, whom he didn't recognize. Just your average villain, Steve thought, looking at the sturdy, strong, cold eyed, man who had an amused smile.

He was tall and very muscular. Nothing new. He looked to be in his late forties, but his hair was few and sparse. Steve couldn't help thinking that he wasn't much of a threat.

"The mighty really have fallen." He snarked. He spoke with a slight Russian accent. Of course he did. Apparently, it was his job to fill in every stereotype.

And then, with the only warning being a glare accompanied by a twisted smile, he pulled out a pistol and put two bullets right in Steve's left shoulder. Steve couldn't help but let out a subdued but agonized yelp of surprise and burning pain.

Once he was able to speak, he figured he ought to cut to the chase. "I'm assuming you wanted something?" He asked keeping his voice steady.

"Well, of course Captain. Nothing big, though. Just the blood of America. The death of freedom. The last breath of patriotism. There are really a lot of ways to phrase it, aren't there? It's just good old fashioned revenge with a dramatic flare."

He stepped forward and leaned close to Steve. "You know, my grandfather worked for Hydra. You killed him. You are the sole reason we were all forced into the shadows for so long."

Steve raised his eyebrows in fake shock. "Huh… I never knew that being a psychopath was genetic." He said with mock curiosity, wanting to annoy Burly Hydra Guy as much as he could.

The man punched Steve hard right across the mouth, causing him to taste blood. Steve was still kind of glad he thought of that remark. Tony would be proud, Steve thought and suppressed an eye roll.

"You know," The man's voice snapped him back to attention. "There are benefits besides revenge. The one thing Hydra doesn't have is a perfect serum. We have a decent one, though. The one in your friend. Ah, what was his name? James, yes?" Steve glared a sharp and deadly look filled with malice at the mention of Bucky.

"But alas, the only man able to accomplish the creation of a truly perfect serum, was, oh yes another lost friend of yours, Dr. Erskine. And, while I'm sure so many would love your blood, we are the only ones capable of getting it. And using it properly." He continued.

Steve opened his mouth to argue, but was cut off before he could utter a word. "Oh, I know failed work has been done. But you don't really understand the science behind this new Hydra. This time, you'll truly see the start of a new age. And your blood will be at the center of our most powerful armies. Hydra already owns the monopoly on science and power, so why not add the unstoppable strength of our armies to the list."

Knowing it was stupid, but unable to pass up the opportunity, Steve said "Wait, you forgot craziness… Oh, and the ability to inevitably fail." He slipped in another insult, not really caring that it sounded cocky, something he never was or was never _supposed_ to be.

The man's eyes narrowed. "Yes, there is the American arrogance" He snarled and threw a flurry of punches at Steve's face (and injured shoulder, causing a howl of pain).

"I think I'd much rather be done with you, _permanently_, but soon we will need our serum... and your blood on our hands." He said it with a curled, sadistic smile that would make anyone's bones chill. But Steve's glare just intensified.

"You will fail." He growled an extra time.

Alas, Steve had not entirely thought out this quotation.

The man grinned again "Surely, you are not so dumb, American." He paused and set off the chains holding Steve, causing them to turn blue with stolen electricity, leaving Steve in a paralyzed but painful agony.

Then, not bothering to even finish his psychotic motto, the man spoke one last time before exiting "For especially you must know what happens when you cut off one head."

**Sorry if this chapter was a bit cheesy, but we'll have more with Steve next time. I hope my portrayals of these characters are not off at all, but do leave some comments and constructive criticism if you can. **

**Also, I would really like to know if anyone would be interested in the story idea I have. It's gonna be dark, sort of a tragic end to the Avengers initiative, and as a warning there will be at least one character death. Yeah, I know sound like kind of a downer, but let me know if anyone would read that.**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Hi. Here we are with another update. These chapters should be coming more frequently with school being out now. If this story is getting a bit predictable, don't worry because after this filler chapter things should change a bit. And I lied when I said 20 chapters, it will be more like 15, but I have more stories I'm working on. And I know the action is starting a bit early but there is still plenty to come and this chapter will contain some sappy Pepperony.**

**Disclaimer: By the way, I don't own the Avengers, if there was still some confusion.**

* * *

The Avengers were suiting up.

Thor and Bruce had been eager to take action and the fact that two other Avengers had what bordered on a plan gave them the push (a push they got _without_ anyone having to die). Bruce already felt the rumble of the Hulk in his mind, just waiting to be unleashed and use it's full fury to give hell to Hydra. Thor yearned for the chance to reclaim his captain and annihilate those monstrous beings.

Clint was on board too, it just took him a while to get use to the idea. He had claimed it was because they should listen to Fury, but they all knew it was because he was hurt that Natasha had made a plan with Tony without telling him. Had the circumstances been different, Tony would have teased him mercilessly about it.

Natasha had laid everything out, allowing Tony time to think again. He could do this. It was easy. With his suit and the other Avenger's frontal assault, Hydra didn't stand a chance. The thought that bothered him was whether or not Steve stood a chance, even though better reasoning told him he did.

The next roadblock was the location. It was hard to know where, but they were convinced it wasn't impossible. They had already ruled out every base that had been formerly SHIELD given how obvious that would be. They also looked at every known Hydra base that had been recently discovered, and ruled out those that were too small, just plain impractical, or ones where it was known that SHIELD knew about them.

That left 3 options, all in Eastern Europe. The first was a scientific research and development base in the Kaliningrad province, and the other two were strategic bases, one in Southern Moldova and the other in the disputed territory of Kosovo. This started the inevitable arguing.

It all made Tony a bit flustered, seeing as every moment they spent arguing about where he was, was another moment they spent not _getting_ to where he was. Clint was especially fiery, his emotions regarding the whole issue resulting in him being increasingly defensive and disputatious.

"Guys, come on." He tried. He didn't even get a glance from anyone. Not again, was all he could think. "PEOPLE" He tried vainly though the term was inaccurate for a certain god of thunder, but it was all to no avail. Only JARVIS's mechanical voice brought the room to quietness. Tony had almost forgot that he still had JARVIS actually working on the problem at hand.

"Watcha got, J?" He asked, trying to keep the desperate pleading out of his voice. "Sir, I have detected an aircraft of sorts, leaving the area around fifteen minutes after you cleared the location of the battle. They have a more advanced version of the cloaking device possessed by the Helicarrier." The AI reported. Figures they'd have that too, thought Tony.

"Okay, okay" He said, not daring to hope. "But you can still sense it right?" He asked. "Yes, Sir." Said the robotic voice. "Check any surveillance you can get of these locations and see if you can get any movement again." Ordered Tony, listing of the locations of the Hydra bases.

The Avengers held their collective breath as JARVIS worked. They could only hope. Tony had full confidence in JARVIS. They could do this. He had to repeat it several times before he started to believe it.

After what seemed to be an eternity, the British voice filled the silence. "Sir, there is evidence of what may be the same aircraft near the base in Kaliningrad That is the most probable location of Captain Rogers." The science and research base. The one they had all doubted would be it.

Suddenly, Bruce tensed, his eyes widening in horrific realization and flashing a deep emerald green. "What?" Clint asked sharply. "Science and Development. It's not just revenge, it's research… The serum…" He trailed off, sounding utterly appalled at what they might be doing.

Everyone was thoroughly disturbed and alarmed at the thought as it sunk in. Thor stood up "Then let us not wait longer to rescue our beloved Captain." He declared proudly, not wanting to waste any time. They nodded there agreement with a strange mix of anger, determination, and fear in their eyes.

* * *

And they prepped.

All Thor had to do was summon Mjolnir, seeing as he hadn't changed out of his Asgardian armor in all the distress of the past day. He paced as he waited, adrenaline building up for the upcoming battle. Bruce just sat there nervously tapping his fingers and trying not to think too much. He didn't have to prep either.

Natasha armed herself with everything she could find. Nothing would get by the Black Widow today. Though he carried other weapons, since he would most likely have to do some hand-to-hand combat, all Clint really cared about were his bow and arrows, his signature weapon of mass destruction. He had regular arrows, explosive ones, electric ones, and Tony had even recently developed ones with acidic tips. He was completley ready for anything.

Tony took great care to prep the Mark 18. He checked it over three times, terrified that something would malfunction, though it never had before. He eventually suited up and walked in to the common room, helmet on his head, but the mask not down.

Pepper was there now, along with the other Avengers. She had a worried glint in her eye that made Tony feel guilty for no reason. "Our helicopter's ready." She said quietly, knowing that Natasha and Clint were perfectly qualified to fly it. Their Stark Industries helicopter was the smallest thing they had, but it was still bigger than a standard SHIELD quinjet.

"Yeah," He said. "We better get going." He didn't move. Natasha and Clint went to go setup in the cockpit and Bruce took a hint and followed, signaling for an oblivious Thor to come as well.

Tony spoke after a moment. "We'll be fine, Pep. He will too." He attempted to convinced both of them, at least a little bit. "I know… Please be careful, Tony." He gave her a half smile and said "Now, when am I ever that?" He asked. She rolled her eyes. "I love you, Tony." He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her passionately. He didn't want to leave that moment.

Pepper ended it though. "You need to go. Just…" She trailed off then and gave him an encouraging sort of smile. He winked at her. "Got it, Pep. I'll be back." He left then and tried not to look back.

The others were already settled when he walked over. Bruce and Thor were sitting there awkwardly and Natasha and Clint were just about ready for takeoff. The latter pair looked quite confident while the two formers looked increasingly nervous. Tony joined the nervous side. He fit in nicely.

He felt so underprepared for this. He knew Fury would find out about this sooner or later, but he couldn't afford to add that to his mostly irrational list of worries. He didn't even know that Coulson's team would be heading to the right location. He trusted them, but in their own case JARVIS had done most of the work. He wanted to give them some sort of tip, but then they would have known what he was planning in time to stop it.

He stared out the window at the ground which was getting smaller. He focused on every detail. Every detail he could see anyway. At this point, he couldn't afford to think. He had a mission to complete.

* * *

Steve stayed in that pained state for a while. The pool of blood was growing and the electricity holding him in place from the chains was slowing the regenerative properties of the serum. At the very least he understood that, even if he couldn't completely grasp the concept of the science behind the whole thing. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to drift off. So, he let his mind wander as best as he could. He couldn't see a thing so an escape plan was out. Naturally, he went to worry next.

Being Captain America, his worry focused on the rest of the team. He was almost certain they had made it out okay, but he feared they would come back for him. And he feared that something bad would happen.

One part of his mind wanted them to not worry about him, guaranteeing their safety. The other part wanted desperately to sic the full might of the Avengers on Hydra. He was torn between his vengeful side and the self sacrificing one that people anticipated from him.

After what Steve assumed to be two hours, the short and narrow doorway opened, but even beyond the door it seemed there was only darkness. Two guards stepped into the room, one standing with his gun raised and heading to the far left corner, while the other held the door open for a third person.

Steve had expected the person to be Burly Hydra Guy as he called him, so he was slightly surprised when a tall and slender, but still strong looking woman stepped into the room holding some sort of medical looking machine that Steve could not identify. The woman had one handgun strapped to her hip but was no wear near as armed as the guards. Her dark eyes looked upon him with a sickening sense of pride and curiosity. Her clothes were different from the others, suggesting she was a scientist but it seemed she could very well be a physical threat if need be.

She walked in purposefully but slowly, seeing as the machine seemed quite heavy. The guard took his place in the right corner and she walked over to Steve with a cold smirk and set the machine next to his torso. She waved a hand to the guard on the right, and he turned off the chain's electricity. Steve's body sagged in relief.

However, he didn't plan on wasting time. He began to use all the force he could to struggle out of his chains, cutting off the words about to exit the scientist's mouth. She took a step back and her eyebrows arched half in fear, half in surprise. "Oh, this will never do." She said in a manner of exasperation. and made eye contact with the guards, whom she appeared to be above in rank.

They stepped forward at once and Steve braced himself, but it didn't help much. They threw punches and kicks quickly and sharply, not letting up with the force or ever giving him a second to recover before the next blow was delivered. By the time the scientist said "Enough.", he had blood dripping from his mouth as well as three other wounds on his body.

Remembering his old catch phrase of being able to do this all day, Steve's struggle continued. The scientist looked exceedingly annoyed now. Quick as lighting, she pulled her gun and put a bullet in each leg, her face not changing the whole time. That effectively ended his struggle in an incredible amount of pain. She waved a hand at the men behind her and the chains turned blue with electricity, preventing him from moving, but still letting him feel the pain." I was a fool to turn these off" She said, and Steve detected the slightest hint of a british accent. Apparently, Hydra was quite the international organization. He had no idea where in the world he might be.

She walked over to Steve and pulled a cord from the machine. It looked like an IV except Steve knew better. She jabbed the needle into his left arm, without warning. His face that he had hoped was blank must have showed some trace of confusion, for once she looked at him, she smirked again and began to explain.

"Of course, your dull mind would not understand. To put it simply, this machine will collect your blood and some tissue samples in large quantities, allowing us to develop a serum from it." Steve's blood ran cold but he couldn't move or squirm. He gritted his teeth and glared at the woman in front of him.

As she worked to set up the machine, she continued to speak "You know, I actually have quite a bit of experience with sort of thing. I developed our original serum for our first project's test subject." Steve grew hot with anger and unspeakable hatred was clearly portrayed in his features, but she acted as though she didn't notice and continued "It was quite the scientific development, but nothing compared to this." She smiled as she said this and disturbingly enough, it wasn't cold or cruel, it was excited and proud. It made her sound as if her science was _innocent_. It nauseated Steve to no end.

She quieted as she inserted similar yet different tubes in his right arm and two legs. "Goodbye for now, Captain. I'll be sure to update you on our progress." She paused. "Well, that is until you can no longer here my voice."

She walked out then, leaving a furious and terrified Steve Rogers in her wake.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Ugh, another filler chapter, but here we are again people. This chapter should mark the end of what I'm calling the first half of this story. Unfortunately, there will be a bit of a break as I will be going out of town and unable to update (But when I get back Part II should half a lot more action). I know this is a bit short but the one after our small break will be much longer. I hope you all enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: All familiar characters, plot lines, movies, quotes, et cetera belong to Marvel Studios. In other words, nothing here is mine.**

LINE

Tony had officially decided that this flight was too long. In reality, it had been about twenty minutes since they had left the tower. While his helicopter made a standard airplane's speed look like that of a common snail, it would still take some time to cross the distance that this venture required, despite Natasha's every effort to make it travel as quickly as possible.

People always said that Tony Stark could not keep his mouth shut. It was true. He was always talking, blathering, about whatever came into mind. Contrary to popular belief, it was not because of his narcissism (though he wasn't going to deny how self-absorbed he was). It was just that he simply could not take silence. Silence meant that he had to think. And more often than not, that was very bad.

Thinking was something he quite enjoyed and was a necessity when it was the thoughts of a calculating engineer or a certifiable genius running through his mind. However, it became something else entirely when it was the thoughts of just a regular man who was unfocused and had too many bad things to think about. Letting his mind wade through any thoughts of this situation or any other like it, took him to areas of his brain he'd rather not explore and in some cases, rather not revisit.

So, he put his energy in to talking. He didn't think this was a bad thing at all, since, well, he was Tony Stark and that was just him, but he did realize it was often avoiding his problems. He blathered on as a genius, as Iron Man, as a playboy (well, not so much anymore), as a public figure. Only now, he didn't feel it was appropriate to talk, and he didn't know what it was he would say if it was.

He looked up and surveyed his teammates. Thor was polishing Mjolnir, something Tony might have found amusing at a different time. Bruce was just sitting there, being himself and not saying anything. His silence pissed Tony off for a number of irrational reasons. Tony and Bruce had a surprising friendship, considering the colossal list of differences between the two. Though that worked for them, Tony found himself wishing Bruce would start a conversation for once. But again, he didn't know what there was to say.

Frenzied panic and fear battled with annoying boredom (another thing which was a nuisance to Tony) in his mind, until a point where he could not longer accept sitting here encompassed in silence. He then proceeded to put on his helmet and set the volume so that only he could hear JARVIS, and could also talk without being heard.

So, he carried out a fairly one-sided conversation with his AI. He asked him about anything that came to mind, complained a lot, and shared his worries. It actually helped him a bit. JARVIS may have been Just A Rather Very Intelligent System, but he made a particularly good confidant in the worst of times.

After a short period of time that was rather long to a certain billionaire, he grew tired of the clipped, emotionless (for the most part), robotic answers of his AI. He then assumed the persona of his five-year-old self, something that wasn't included in his title but something he did a lot, and went to annoy Clint and Natasha as to their time of arrival.

"Guys." He half-whined as he poked his head into the rather large cockpit. "What, Tony?" Clint asked shortly and exasperatedly. Tony felt kind of felt stupid now, but figured they'd understand his anxiety. "How long do you think it'll be…?" He was cut off by Natasha. "I don't know Tony. Okay? Maybe an hour, maybe longer, but we'll get there." Tony huffed and began to walk out sulking, still acting like a five-year-old.

He thought Natasha was exceedingly pissed sounding, but then he remembered the slightest almost undetectable hitch in her voice at the end. Then, he realized she hadn't turned her head towards him at all. Shit. If the Black Widow was crying even the slightest bit, things were a lot worse than he had originally speculated.

He heard a sharp crackle come from the cockpit and stepped back in, fearing that he knew what that meant. Sure enough, someone was trying to reach them.

"Romanoff? The hell do you think you're doing? Get your asses back to New York immediately." Damn. Of course SHIELD would be able to find them, he thought. For the first time in his life, Tony realized that the master assassins weren't quite sure as to what to say. Just as Natasha began to open her mouth, Tony decided to take things into his own hands.

"Sorry Eye-patch, no can do. We're getting Steve out of their hands right now. You might wanna send your team as back-up." Tony said cooly. "That is an order, Stark. I suggest you get back here or I will personally shove an EMP up the ass of your little private jet." Fury said, sounding completely serious. Natasha looked quite fired up now, so Tony let her field this one.

"Look, Fury. This is Captain America we're talking about and we are getting him _now. _Frankly, I don't give a damn if that's an order." Fury didn't have time to respond, for as soon as she finished she cut the connection and Tony left feeling that it was best to just leave the pair alone.

LINE

Tony's next forty-five minutes were spent divided between strategizing and worrying. He actually thought he was holding it together all right. The worry had managed to calm the slightest bit because of the strategizing part. He felt the smallest shred of confidence forming. He could do this. He was Iron Man and he was going to save Captain America.

A glance at his teammates made him second-guess himself, but he assured himself this would all go perfectly. Bruce's head was in his hands and Tony had no idea if he was thinking or fighting to remain calm. Thor was standing now, his anxiety apparently increased, and his large fingers drumming off whatever godly material Mjolnir was crafted from. Though he knew he wasn't doing a great job of it, he wished his team would show some spirit.

He let thoughts about the upcoming fight disperse the fear in his might. He let his anger and vengefulness take over his mind. No one messed with the Avengers like this and lived. Avenging was just there job. And he would kill all of Hydra to do it. It may sound crazy, but this settled his mind down. The thought of blasting all these bastards to smithereens calmed him down a lot.

However, his nervousness returned when he felt the helicopter start to glide downward. This was the moment he had been fearfully awaiting. Clint's voice came over the intercom and informed them that they were in fact landing, just a small distance away from the facility that allegedly held Steve.

Tony tensed as the helicopter landed. He drew in a breath and slowly let it out, unable to do much else.

LINE

The tubes were clear. That meant that Steve could see his blood leave his body and fill up the removable part of the machine. Their technology was horrifically incredible. He didn't even see how this was possible. Yet, slowly a deep dark liquid flowed into the bottom of this machine.

There seemed to be semi-hourly (or so he guessed) visits to his room. Each time it was the smirky and annoying scientist accompanied by Burly Hydra Guy or some other guards.

The visits had fallen into a pattern. They would enter. She would smirk. He would think how much he wanted to kill everyone in the room. The guard would turn of the chains. He would struggle relentlessly. He would inevitably get his ass kicked, resulting in more blood. She would collect the contents of the removable part of the machine and smirk some more. The chains would come on. He would growl and make several death threats before he was left again to the darkness.

He knew he had a lot of blood and could function a bit better with little amounts of it than most, but he really didn't see how he could have much more. By what was probably the fourth or fifth visit his resistance was strenuous and exhausting. This was for two reasons: 1) The blood loss was making him unfocused, and while he hadn't managed to be gifted with unconsciousness. 2) The pain from his bloody and probably infected injuries were hurting him so bad that the slightest shift was met with a dose of excruciating agony.

Steve certainly wasn't a doctor, but he knew this was bad. His injuries were hellish and bloody and he knew they would get worse the longer they went untreated. Somehow, it managed to be to the point that the electric chains reduced the serum's healing capabilities, but not to the point where he could achieve unconsciousness.

He wondered if they would actually succeeding in the serum they were planning. The very thought of his blood being used as a tool for evil made his blood curdle and mind panic. He could not let them get away with an evil of this magnitude. Hydra had all ready destroyed too much. Steve would dauntlessly kill every single person who worked for this evil, sadistic, and depraved organization.

He had the strange feeling that the blood was coming slower, though he thought it might just his imagination. His body was failing a bit, but he was not succumbing. Hydra was not going to win. As long as he was breathing, he would see to it that this heinous atrocity was stopped and Hydra would rapidly perish just as they should have decades ago.

Sometime later, they were back. "My, My, Captain." She taunted. "Is the blood flow slowing a bit? Have the mighty fallen so quickly?" She collected the contents, handed it to the guard, and sized him up. "Perhaps there is more in there, though." She said smiling and kneeling down next to him. It took him a few seconds to realize she meant blood. It took him even longer to notice the knife she pulled out. Before he could react, it was hilt-deep in his abdomen. He gasped, the pain wrenching his body from his own control. She pulled it a bit to the side and then slowly out and he let out a hoarse, tortured scream of pain that would terrify anyone. She smirked some more.

Finally, he blacked out and the arms of nothingness and feelingless bliss opened up and comforted him into a much needed break.

LINE

He awoke from his light and certainly not peaceful sleep to find another visit taking place. Both Burly Hydra Guy and the Smirk Queen were standing above him. Luckily, this time, neither said anything. His head was pounding and the pain was literally killing him. He could barely see straight, much less have cognizant thoughts.

However, something out of the ordinary, definitely did happen. Just as the pair were preparing to leave, another guard that Steve hadn't seen before rushed in looking shocked and a bit scared. He spoke to the guard in a hushed voice then walked to the door, but didn't leave. Burly Hydra Guy looked surprised and fearful as well (something Steve was happy to see) and he whispered whatever it was to the scientist. Steve expected a similar reaction but she seemed calm as ever. "Well, get everyone prepared then. We will be ready for this." In Steve's weary state, he couldn't figure anything out. "It appears you have some visitors who will be arriving soon." She said and turned on her heel, briskly exiting the room.

Steve froze, his own problems forgotten. The Avengers had endangered themselves for him. He got the strength from somewhere to give a hoarse whisper to the empty room. "No."


	8. Chapter 8

**IMPORTANT** AN: So sorry about the long wait, but I was out of town and unable to write. A lot is about to go down and this is kind of crazy and confusing, so get ready. This is kind of weird, but because I'm starting the beginning of Part II there is sort of a prologue for this chapter, before we get back into the two main sections I've been doing. This is just because I need to add more information because we're having a bit of a plot twist and I hope you guys like it. This sucks a bit, but a promise there is a point to what happens and it helps to create more plot lines in the future. This story has a new direction since I'm bringing in another character, but I'm hoping this will work well with what I all ready have. I know that I am really screwing Tony in this chapter, but he will get his chance. There is a brief mention of Steve's past here, but I'm using what is said in the comic books, not the movies. Huge thanks to all readers, reviewers, followers, and favoriters (ugh, that's not a word).

Disclaimer: В последний раз, Marvel владеет все символы и сюжетные линии и все остальное вы признаете. Oh and thank you for that, Google Translate.

_Prologue_

Hydra affected the civilian population in quite a minor way. Sure, it scared them and caused questioning of government forces, but they didn't have to deal with it. And of course there were those whose lives were thrown into turmoil because of it an they had to clean up the mess. That's just an example of how the world is divided. You could even say that the world of spies and murder and betrayal was on a completely different planet then the one where civilians live, oblivious to the deadly second world that surrounds them. One half of it saving them, the other killing them. One thing about the second world is that news can travel fast.

If you're someone who knows their way around this so-called "second world", it's not that hard to figure certain things out. For example, for one certain man, it wasn't incredibly hard to find out that Hydra had captured Captain America. Especially, considering his recent history and current location, which as of one week now had been where he resided: Washington DC.

Once he had found out, against his better judgement, he hadn't ignored it and it kept bothering him. He didn't know why. It was a puzzle he couldn't figure out. His confused and destroyed mind attempted to break down this problem, as he sat inconspicuously outside, a cap on his head, a jacket covering his arms. His hand tapped the bench as lightly as possible and he hoped no one noticed the clang that was a result.

He knew he should've left this all behind a long time ago. The problem was, he had nowhere to go. He didn't even know who he was. He supposed his name was James, but what was he supposed to do with that?, he wondered. The museum said he was James, so did the Captain and even the smallest hint of faint memories he couldn't quite reach, but what did that really mean? He was fairly sure he wanted to know himself, wanted to remember, but he knew it was wrong. The Winter Soldier was not supposed to feel.

Even worse, if he got himself pulled together, he would need a lot of help. He wasn't ready for this. Ready to face the man on the bridge who called him "Bucky", the one who said they were friends. _Impossible_, the Winter Soldier thought with a certain degree of stubbornness and denial, _I have no friends and I feel nothing_. _It's possible_, Bucky thinks, _this could still be you_. He just wasn't prepared to face the present and go to the future, the two that meant facing the awfullest of them all: his past.

The were a few old memories in his mind, and Bucky wanted to believe they were real while the Winter Soldier completely denied their existence. The memories were hazy and nondescript but every one involved a weak and skinny blonde boy that gave the frozen soldier the terrifying feeling of warmth. Despite the lack of resemblance, he somehow knew that this boy was the man on the bridge. He couldn't stop thinking of that line he had frequently fed him, as if he would recognize it: "I'm with you 'till the end of the line." The man had said that. As if he really were his friend. Those words had triggered something he couldn't pinpoint and it made him so insanely angry. That man and everything about him pissed the Winter Soldier off. He was such a… His thoughts trailed off in surprise. The word that had been about to come to his mind startled him. _Punk._

His fist clenched in anger. Punk. Why would he want to call him that? He noticed a young child staring with wide eyes and saw he was bending the metal arm rail of the bench. He got up quickly and broke into a run, ignoring the surprised and alarmed looks he got. He could barely breathe, and it obviously had nothing to do with his physical state. Words were going through his head rapidly, the same ones over and over. "You're a punk." "Jerk." He stopped running and growled lowly. That voice was the man on the bridge. He was almost certain.

Now the thought that Hydra had this man, this Steve Rogers, as they said he was, truly disturbed him. He couldn't deny it. He had no idea what it was, but something was definitely there. He wasn't ready to get answers, but he realized that he couldn't let the one person who had them be killed by Hydra. He thought about his fuzzy broken, memories and looked at his metal arm. Hydra had done that. They couldn't kill his only chance at living a real life someday, too. _Besides_, he thought, _if anyone kills him, it will be me only_. He made that claim right then and there. Then he made up his mind. Hydra was not getting away with this one.

Somehow, he knew this was right. It was the least he could do, considering he knew he was a slaughtering machine who had all ready destroyed so much. This was his new mission: to save his previous mission. And he had only failed one mission, the one that he couldn't make himself do. He honestly didn't care that he would be doing this out of mostly selfish reasons. But if he ever wanted answers at any point in his life, this couldn't be ignored any longer.

He was honest to god nervous to face these Hydra monsters out of pure fear. The second that thought formulated, the Winter soldier came back into his mind. _No_, he thought,_ I don't feel anything, much less fear_. He convinced himself of that. His gaze hardened into the blank but burning one of The Winter Soldier. He put his mask over the lower half of his face and took off the jacket and cap, letting himself truly be exposed. He strode purposefully and swiftly out of the area, ignoring the terrified looks and shrieks and not caring if anyone pulled out there phones to call the police. He was going to their science base in Kaliningrad as fast as he possibly could. He knew Rogers would be there, for he'd been there too.

Here he was with a new mission and need for revenge. A thirst for blood boiled in his veins. He would see this mission through until the very end.

_Regular Chapter_

The Avengers had landed the jet pretty far out, seeing as the Stark helicopter had no sort of cloaking device. The base was now in their line of sight. "All right. What's the plan?"

Natasha had asked that question and could tell the others were thinking the same thing. It took Tony a minute to realize that was directed at him and that everyone was looking expectantly at him.

This was what he hadn't wanted to happen. He didn't see how he could be the Avenger's temporary leader. He barely even qualified for the initiative. He was just a _consultant_. Yet, here they were, waiting for his orders. He tried to stand tall and act like he knew what he was doing, but he was most certainly not the leader type (not that he was a follower, either).

"Okay. Thor, Romanoff, just uh, get in there and kick ass. Take out whoever you can and let me know if there's any sign of Rogers. Banner, just you know, do your thing, but be as careful as you possibly can. We don't need any further injuries to Steve." Bruce winced a bit. "Barton, I'll need you up high to take out anyone on the outside but be ready to go in and help as needed. Get up on..." He trailed off realizing there were obviously no rooftops around. "Um, can you like get in that tree?" He asked gesturing towards the tallest one, knowing that he would need Barton there in order for him to do his best to do his best, but not sure if that was a ridiculous request. Hawkeye nodded and slung his bow over his shoulder, as if this was a very ordinary request. "Okay. I'm gonna go around and head for the back entrance that was on the map. I'll get Steve and get out and give you guys the word. When we're out I want this place to burn." Tony was staring at the building, but didn't need to turn around to know everyone agreed. They began to implement their plan.

Covered by trees and then clouds, Iron Man blasted into the sky. Thor and the Black Widow ran to the front of the long and expansive center. Thor wasted no time frying the steel doors with lightning, allowing the Black Widow to enter and began the slaughter of these evil fiends. With a leap, Hawkeye began to scale said tree, faster than most would think possible. Man morphed into monster as a roar ignited the green rage monster that resided in the scientist. As one might expect, there was more smashing. From his perch, Clint shot arrow after arrow, some without even looking. He couldn't help but note some similarities between this battle and the most recent one. He could only help it ended better.

They had studied the layout of the place and Tony of course wasn't surprised as he landed by the back entrance. He just wasn't sure if he was ready to use it. He had the guards dead in seconds, but stood in front of the door for a moment. He was breathing heavy with nervousness and fear. He felt that something would surely go wrong. He looked down at the ground and noticed there were three bodies. The guards. He hadn't given a thought to the small number, but now it really jumped out at him. Three guards on the second major entrance when the first had over ten. It raised some red flags. Dammit, Tony thought. It was as if they had been moved for some reason, like to get in some battle formation or to prepare for their attack. That would have to mean that they had had some sort of warning that the avengers were coming for them.

Tony wanted to scream. How did they always know?. Then he realized it was sort of obvious. There was no one you could trust 100%, meaning there were probably bad seeds all over the remnants of SHIELD*. No wonder Hydra was always one step ahead. Tony's iron fists clenched and instead of screaming he settled for blasting, which was exactly what he did to the doors. Just because they had some warning didn't mean they had that large of an advantage. The amount of security had probably increased in the front, leading to a decrease where he was, except most likely where Steve was. Iron Man continued to blast, thinking maybe he could use the previous fact to his advantage.

The lack of guards annoyed him, considering he was ever wary of a trap, but he had his hands full with taking out the guards that were there and figuring out where the hell Steve was. Noticing he hadn't checked on everyone else, he stopped at the end of a dark short hallway and turned on his com. "Romanoff? Everything good out there?" "Yeah, we're fine." Tony noted that she sounded slightly breathless. "There are a ton of 'em. They knew we were coming again. Thor and I have this section and the Hulk's definitely got the east side under control. We can still hold them for a while, but get him out as fast as you can." Tony was annoyed that she thought he wasn't trying his hardest but elected to ignore it. "Hey Barton, it's probably best if you get down there in a few, if you can." Hawkeye's voice came through along with the twang of an arrow leaving a bowstring, "Roger that."

He continued quickly, being as quiet as he could with the iron on his feet. He ran and blasted, killing the few soldiers that were there and checking every single room for any sort of sign, as to where in this huge place Steve might be. It was a larger room that looked like a lab that caught his attention. It was actually guarded, but they were dead before a scream could escape there mouths. He ran in and found the room had been abandoned in the chaos Yet, there were still guards. His curiosity took over and he quickly skimmed the charts that had been filled out. Strangely, it took him a few seconds to notice the vial next to him. It contained deep, dark, shining liquid that could only be blood.

He glanced back at the chart and the vial. This sort of stuff was more Bruce's area, but Tony was still a genius and he knew some the test they had performed on this blood. It didn't take someone with his intellect to know that this was no normal blood. It was Steve's. He looked around the room in horror, his stomach stirring. That was most certainly not the only vial. There were tons of them, each with several tests having been preformed. Jarvis flipped his mask up, knowing what was about to happen. He stumbled towards the trash can and threw up everything his stomach contained, which was surprising considering how little he had eaten recently.

Dimly, he noticed sirens wailing and snapped to attention. Damn. He started running out and stopped as he heard the Black Widow in his ear. "Stark." Natasha said, her voice thick and low. "What?" He asked quickly. "We found his shield." Natasha hadn't told him that it was coated with a nauseating amount of blood. That news was inevitable, but it still pissed him off that he and his shield had been separated.

He was even more driven now, but based on the reports Natasha was giving things weren't going so great and people were now aware of his presence. He was going so fast, he could barely hear. He just had to get to Steve. He needed to. So, he didn't notice that people had been following him and he was quite surprised when the grenade came at him. Instead of doing something logical, like throwing the bomb back, his mind could only think _shit!_, over and over again, and his body reacted by running. He didn't get far.

He landed on his stomach a moment later. He was perfectly fine of course, the suit having protected him. Unfortunately, this suit was not as thick as the others and could not protect itself. A large section of the suit's lower back had been completely blown off by the extreme force, but his head was still covered and his blasters were fully functional. He knew this suit wasn't ready for all this, especially Hydra weapons. He didn't have time to worry about the lack of coverage or whatever injuries he may have just gotten, because he had to keep moving.

He ran with all he had, blasting every sign of life and not giving a second thought. People were flooding the area, attempting to overpower the invincible Iron Man. They couldn't. Tony Stark fought the hardest he ever had in his life and about ten minutes later, everyone was down. But, contrary to his belief, everyone was not dead. He was so busy getting the hell out of there, he didn't notice one injured man quietly fumble for his gun. He heard the bang and instinctively ducked. He didn't feel anything yet, but he knew that he hadn't dodged it. In a millisecond he blasted the soldier to death, just as horrible, excruciating pain took over his lower left back.

He placed a metal clad hand on the wound and it's largeness slowed the blood flow a bit. He couldn't believe it. He should have been paying more attention and now he gotten himself shot. He was furious, but he would not give up. Tony knew he wouldn't make it far, but he had to try. He had searched almost everywhere, so he knew Steve must be here somewhere. A small agonizing time later, his blurry vision set on a large steel door with an electronic lock. It was obviously supposed to be guarded, but it had been abandoned in the disarray of the battle. Tony stumbled and felt blood running down his body. He raised his arm to try and blast the door, but he couldn't. He fell.

Unable to get to his feet, he did the one thing he hadn't wanted to do and spoke. "Romanoff. I… Steve... I know where he is." He stopped to breathe. "Stark? What happened?" Natasha asked urgently. In a breathless rush, he described where he was and how to get there, ordering her to get Steve immediately. Natasha's voice was calm, but she was freaking out seeing as Tony never sounded like this. "Tony?" She said, but he couldn't come up with a response, seeing as he was losing it. "Tony Stark, what the fuck is going on over there?" She was trying to keep the desperation out of her voice. "I'll get there as soon as I can." the Black Widow said quietly. Deciding he had to do more to help, he raised his arm again. The door blasted in. "Steve" He tried to hiss. The inside of the room was the last thing that Tony registered before the void of darkness engulfed him entirely.

Even if Tony had been conscious, he most likely would not have heard the swift running footsteps behind him.

* * *

Steve Rogers was about to die. He knew it, too.

It had only been about ten minutes since he had been informed that the Avengers were here. In the back of his mind, he had known this was bound to the happen. Still, it didn't make him feel any better about the mental and physical hell he was forced to endure. Actually, now he couldn't really have these thoughts because he was so lost and out of it. He wasn't unconscious but he wasn't exactly conscious either, if that makes any sense.

He was in so much pain, that he could barely hold on. He was swimming in agony and fear for his friends and downright terror for himself. He could tell he was dying. He knew the damage was done. The only thing he wanted was to be certain about was that they hadn't made a serum, but he'd probably never know that. It was a struggle to breathe, a struggle to move, and a struggle to stay still. Every part of him was on fire and there was just so much fucking blood. His vision only detected red and he really couldn't determine if that was anger at Hydra or caused by the amount of blood on his face and on the floor.

He was startled out of his haze by banging, that seemed ridiculously loud. After a second, he identified it as gunfire and wanted to grab his shield, before realizing he didn't have it and probably never would again. The gunfire continued. He heard muffled shouts, but he could tell the fighting was quite far from him. Every time the sound of bullets hit his ears tremors of fear ran down his back. He would never live with himself if one of the Avengers didn't make it. He feared he would never know the answer to that question, too.

He hated being powerless. He knew his friends were right out there, fighting for their lives, for his life. Still, there was nothing he could do. The battle had just started and he was completely left out of it, though he had caused it entirely. He could only hope the battle would be brief, so that he might be lucky enough to see at least see one of the Avengers. He wasn't giving up at all, but part of him was resigning himself to death.

Another few minutes and he knew his time was almost gone. It was one of the most challenging fights he fought, trying to remain conscious. _For the Avengers_, he thought. _You have to make it through for them_. He knew that the Avengers were strong and could probably function without him, but in all honesty he didn't want to leave them. They had been his only friends, since he had woken up. They had helped him adjust. Even if Tony drove him crazy, sometimes, Steve really respected him. The Avengers weren't his friends. They were his life.

He thought he felt tears mixing with the blood on his cheeks. He couldn't bring him self to care. He found himself selfishly hoping that unconsciousness would take over. There was an ever lasting pounding radiating through his skull, and it was aggravated further by every crash of the battle.

He wanted so bad to stay awake, but he was certain it was hopeless. He remembered a particularly hard day back in the Depression. He was rushing to get home to his mom who was in the early stages of her deadly illness. Of course, he never could go far without running into trouble. That fight had been especially bad. His heart hadn't been in to defending himself, most likely because of the consuming worry for his mother he had, though he knew how strong she was. By the time he got away and found Bucky on his way home, he was a limping, bloody mess. Bucky had said that one day his need to keep fighting would get himself seriously hurt or killed. Now those words rang through Steve's head and there were definitely a few tears now.

He had gotten himself seriously injured and most likely killed. Sometimes, Steve Rogers didn't want to be Captain America. Didn't want to have been injected with the serum or have to be literally frozen for 70 years and wake up to find everyone he knew dead. But that's what he had to do. He had to be Captain America and he had to make do with whatever life gave him.

He was shocked out of his half-conscious lament by an explosion, that wasn't incredibly close but his enhanced hearing picked it up loud and clear. He heard a metal clang shortly after. Steve had no idea what that might mean, but it sent that chill of fear down his spine again.

So he waited for anything else to happen. Really that was all he could do. He was having trouble moving even his body parts that weren't pinned to the floor. He tried to move his fingers and they barely did, the only thing they felt being warm, slick blood. He closed hie eyes and was filled with the feeling that he might never open them again. He forced them open, but still didn't feel better. Especially not when he saw the blood.

Well, by now he was used to blood, considering he was sitting in a pool of it, but this was not his own. A few small drips and streams had come in from under the door. Under the door. There was someone right outside his door, who was bleeding all over the place. His mind set into panic. His instincts told him to rush to his feet, but he was in no state to do so and the attempted movement sent a fresh burst of agony through him. He was slipping away but he tried his damnedest to hang on. He needed to do something, but this was all pointless. He was just about gone. Then, there was another explosion.

He tried to look at the door and make sense of what had just happened. Someone had blown it in. He thought someone what come in. He thought he heard his name, but figured he was hallucinating. Another minute passed, and Steve's mind let go, too confused and in way too much pain.

Before he blacked out, he could've sworn he saw a flash of silver metal.

* * *

*The part where Tony thinks about how "there are probably bad seeds all over SHIELD" was not supposed to be a reference to Ward. This is not meant to be a crossover with Agents of SHIELD.

Sorry if you all hate me now, but I had to do this to set up for further plot lines. I know this sucked as far as the story goes but I will make everything up for you all. Please tell me if this is awful!


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